<p>A statue of Saint Zoyo, founder of the temple, who planted trees along the local coastline to protect the townspeoples' crops from salt damage</p>

A statue of Saint Zoyo, founder of the temple, who planted trees along the local coastline to protect the townspeoples' crops from salt damage (Photo: Peter Sidell)

Jounji temple, Numazu

A beautifully restful garden temple

Peter Sidell Apr 28, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>A statue of Saint Zoyo, founder of the temple, who planted trees along the local coastline to protect the townspeoples' crops from salt damage</p>

<p>A monument in the shade of the trees alongside the main path</p>

<p>The main hall is screened from the graveyard by a wall of greenery</p>

<p>The flowers in the screen add color to the graveyard</p>

<p>The greenery creates a restful atmosphere</p>

<p>A small shrine off the main path</p>

<p>Also in amongst the shady trees are lanterns and this pagoda</p>

<p>These two statues sit near the bell pavilion</p>

<p>This tree's branches stretch out so far as to need support to keep them above head height</p>

<p>The raked gravel zen garden</p>

<p>The tree's branches spread like fingers across the gravel</p>

<p>The entrance from the main road</p>

A couple of kilometers south of Numazu station, Jounji is a temple set in a lavishly green garden, with flowers, shrubs and trees all around. In amongst the greenery there are lanterns, pagodas, statues, and a uniquely designed monument, while in front of the main hall there's a large zen garden of raked gravel, which adds to the peacefulness of the surroundings.

Peter Sidell

Peter Sidell @peter.sidell

I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.